Improved method o f lighting street-lamps by electricity



C. W. SMITH.

Electric Gas Lighter.

Patented Oct. 12, 1858.

n m mm M m w N.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIcE.

o. W. SMITH, or EVANS, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 21,781, datedOctobcr12, 185B.

ing-wires, in which circuits are included devices for lightingstreet-lamps by electricity,

in such a manner that a portion of the streetv lalnpsof a citvmaybelighted at a time, thus obviating the necessity of employing a batteryof inconvenient and expensive size; secondly, in the combination ofconducting-wires with such circuit changer or changers in such a mannerthat the latter may be operated by means of electricity at a part of thecity remote from the operator; thirdly, in arranging the parts of agas-lighter in such a manner that they will be more compact and lessliable to .get displaced than heretofore, as will be de-- scribed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure l is a plan view of the apparatus for lighting street-lamps.

At B is seen'the circuit-changer oi the central station, which isoperated by hand. The electric current starting from the battery Aproceeds along the conducting-wire to the central pivotofthecircuit-changer; thence through the radial armC to the metallicsegnientsD D E E, &c.; thence through the conductingwires which radiate todiflerent secondary or district stations. It will be observed that twoof these wires proceed to each district station. One of'these wires, asD, is used to turn around the district circuit-changer, so as to make aconnection between the wire D and the different segments of the changer,which communicate also through radial wires with the different circuitsof wires in which are included the lamps, one of which circuits isrepresented on a reduced scale at R. The lamps in this cirthus movesaround the radial arm 0 until, by

a succession of strokes, it is brought in contact with the segmentcommunicating with an other circuit; In this manner the differentdistricts and the different sections of each district can be lighted inrapid succession by a battery which would prove wholly inadequate tolight them all at once. Sosoou as thelam ps are all lighted, theconducting-wires may be put in connection with the electrograph l P, andthus be used for transmitting signals until the. lamps are tn berwtinguislmd, vho11 the same operation is to be repeated.

I have alsomade some improvements in the construction of thegas-lighters which are operated as described above.

I place the temporary magnet A, Fig. e, immediately above thesupply-cock 13 instead of beneath, as has been done heretofore in allcases, I believe, when a LJ-magnet has been use and support it there bymeans of the brass plate 0, slips of which are cut and bent so as toform a fulcrum for the lever D and a guide to the pawl E. The devicesare thus rendered extremely simple and compact, and it becomesimpossible for them to get displaced.

WhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isi 1. The combination and arrangement of a circuit-changer withdifferent circuits of conducting-wires, in which are included a numberof street-lamps, in such a mannerthat the lamps in one circuit only maybe lighted simultaneously by means of the battery-current 2. Thecombination of conducting-wires with devices for operating, byelectricity, such a ciredit-changer at a station remote from theoperator.

The arrangement of the magnet A, the brass plate 0, the lever D, and thepawl E, substantial] y as and for the purposes described.

CHARLES W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

EDM. F. BROWN, J. Q. ADAMS.

